Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

"Everything's Going To Be Ok:" Source Code And The Dramas Of Desire, David L. Smith

Journal of Religion & Film

Source Code (Duncan Jones, 2011) is a science fiction film concerned with an ambiguity at the heart of religion and its ideas about the meaning of life. It interrogates the kitsch-phrase "everything's going to be OK" to uncover two distinct ideas of heroism, or of how life acquires meaning. One is keyed to narratives of attainment. The other stresses the immediacy or immanence of meaning in our present conditions. The film enacts the tension between these paradigms in ways that parallel cases from Christianity and Buddhism. It explores what remains of religious hope when its literal sense is exposed as …

Hitchcock And The Scapegoat: Violence And Victimization In The Wrong Man, David Humbert

Journal of Religion & Film

Alfred Hitchcock’s The Wrong Man tells the story of Emmanuel Balestrero, arrested for a crime committed by his physical double. This paper examines the theme of the scapegoat in the film and argues that it portrays in miniature what theorist René Girard has described as a mimetic crisis. While the plight of the central character is usually portrayed as a product of blind chance, it is instead due to the mimetic fears, desires, and vanities of the members of society that accuse him. The fate of Balestrero reveals the operation of a specific kind of scapegoat mechanism that has its …

The Reenchantment Of Eschatology: Religious Secular Apocalypse In Akira Kurosawa’S Dreams, Justin Heinzekehr

Journal of Religion & Film

The possibility of nuclear destruction in the modern world has created a secular eschatology which, unlike religious eschatologies, creates nihilism and apathy rather than ultimate meaning. The Japanese film Dreams, by Akira Kurosawa, depicts this secularized eschatology as well as a counter-apocalyptic utopia. However, Kurosawa does not merely repeat the Western visions of nuclear apocalypse, but uses Japanese folk religion as a lens through which this apocalypse can be viewed. By doing so, Kurosawa creates a specifically Eastern response to nuclear destruction: a “religious secular” eschatology. Despite its lack of critical success, Dreams provides a valuable alternative for Western …

The Magdalene Sisters: How To Solve The Problem Of ‘Bad’ Girls, Irena S. M. Makarushka Ph.D.

Journal of Religion & Film

This article focuses on Peter Mullan’s The Magdalene Sisters which explores the scope and complex nature of the punishment experienced by the women incarcerated in the Magdalene Asylum near Dublin. The analysis reflects my long-standing interest in religion, film and feminist values as well as my revulsion at the sexual abuse and predatory practices of countless Catholic priests and nuns. It is the same revulsion that drove Mullan to bring the horrors of the Magdalene Asylums out from beneath the culturally sanctioned shadows into plain sight. My analysis focuses not only on women as victims of abuse, but also on …

Whatever Became Of Carl Braaten?: Selective Critical Reflections On Carl Braaten's Because Of Christ: Memoirs Of A Lutheran Theologian, Gary M. Simpson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Thinking With Luther About Jesus (Aka Sweetlips), Gary M. Simpson

Faculty Publications

In Luther’s commentary on Ps 45, Jesus can properly by understood as “SweetLips” because of Luther’s bold nuptial rhetoric describing the beauty of Christ the Bridegroom. Jesus’ lips overflow with grace and are, therefore, pure sugar and honey

The Calvin Forum: Fall 2012, Calvin Theological Seminary

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum (2002- )

CONTENTS - Vol. 19., FALL 2012

Main Features:
2- Mission as the Key to Unlocking the GrandStory of the Bible by Michael W. Goheen

5- Nature and Culture Against Scripture: Why WeDon’t Like to Read the Bible by John W. Cooper

7- Reading and Living Out the Truth: Overcoming Biblical ADD by Michael J. Williams

9- The Bible Tells Me So: Knowing Confidently What Scripture Teaches by Jeffrey A. D. Weima

Departments:

11- Called to Serve at CTS

12-Welcome

14- Serving the Church

The Marian Library Newsletter: Issue No. 59, University Of Dayton. Marian Library

Marian Library Newsletter

No abstract provided.

A Quiet Conversion Experience, Ashley Meyer

Lake Union Herald

No abstract provided.

The Korean-American Church In The 21st Century; A How To Model For Church Growth, Dongsik Kim

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Although Korean-Americans have high religious affiliation, they have a low religious commitment. Many Korean-Americans think of the church as a place for relaxation and social connection rather than a place of worship. With the distorted perspective towards the church, the Korean-American churches experience split and division; the church's growth stagnates or declines, and the church is no longer healthy. This project provides suggestions for becoming a healthy church through a case study of the Lord-Jesus Korean Church (LJKC) in Richmond, VA. Based on questionnaires, the project evaluates the effectiveness of the ministries of the LJKC and suggests recommendations for becoming …

About My Father's Business: Pastoral Succession From Father To Son, Clifford Hartley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A son who follows in his fathers' footsteps is not unique to many situations but it is to the office of pastor of the local church. Such a succession raises several questions: Is this a call of God, or the passing on of a dynasty? Is this a healthy transition for a church to consider? What are the associated problems and benefits? What biblical foundations should be considered? Are there common factors that make this transition successful? It is evident that unique planning and caution is necessary that is different from other successions patterns of pastoral ministry. This paper will …

Things We Never Preach About, Part I: Gluttony, Dirk G. Lange

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Expansion Of Early Buddhism In Yunnan: The Grottoes Of Shibaoshan, Audrey Pazmino

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The expansion of Buddhism from India into China followed several different routes, one of which was the Southern Silk Road. The cosmopolitan nature of this crossroads between India, the Tubo Empire of Tibet, the Nanzhao Kingdom in the Erhai region, and the Tang dynasty in China greatly impacted the types of Buddhist sites constructed during this time period.

Buddhism also took on new characteristics from the local ethnic groups in the Erhai region, particularly the Bai ethnic minority. The grottoes of Shibaoshan are one of these early Buddhist sites in Yunnan that reflect the integration of traditional Indian and Tibetan …

Listening To Kabir: Pluralism, Paradox, And The Kabir Panth, Parker Eudy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The fifteenth century poet-saint Kabir is one of the most prominent figures in Indian history and Hindi literature. Kabir was born to low-caste parents who had recently converted from Hinduism to Islam. However, Kabir grew up to reject both Hinduism and Islam and their claims on absolute truth and instead wrote about a God that transcends all cultural differences. This paper examines the ways in which Kabir challenged traditional norms and transcended cultural and religious boundaries. Kabir was such a venerated figure that an entire sect, the Kabir Panth, emerged after his death to practice and live out Kabir’s philosophy …

Dominus Mortis: Martin Luther On The Incorruptibility Of God In Christ, David Luy

Dissertations (1934 -)

Contemporary literature broadly presupposes that Luther's Christology represents a definitive course correction within Christian reflection upon the doctrine of God. The hinge point of Luther's innovation, according to this understanding, resides in his apparent endorsement of a mutual transfer of predicates between the divine and human nature of Christ. This mutuality represents a significant radicalization of pre-existing theological opinion, which is content to affirm the statement `God suffers', for instance, only in the carefully restricted sense that Christ (who happens to be divine) suffers according to His human nature. According to this more traditional explanation, it is not the divinity …

The Church And The Mediation Of Grace: A Reformed Perspective On Ordained Ministry And The Threefold Office Of Christ, Michael Joe Matossian

Dissertations (1934 -)

This dissertation explores the relationship between grace, the church, ordained church offices, and the threefold office of Christ (munus triplex). The goal is to discern, in what ways and in what senses, we can speak of the mediation of grace through the church while maintaining a Reformed theological commitment to the principle that Christ alone is Mediator. Chapter one seeks to establish that Reformed doctrine regards the church both as locus and instrument of grace including the fact that the ordained offices are instruments of grace. Chapter two offers a definition of the concept of mediator, introduces categories of mediation, …

Sexism In Practice: Feminist Ethics Evaluating The Hookup Culture, Conor M. Kelly

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

Hooking up—the practice of pursuing sexual activity without any expectation of a relationship—has become a fixture of the U.S. college experience, resulting in an identifiable hookup culture across the country that can and should benefit from a feminist analysis. Sociological research reveals that this practice appeals to college students by ostensibly providing greater independence than traditional relationships. An outside analysis of these claims, however, demonstrates that the heterosexual hookup culture operates in a decidedly sexist fashion. In fact, the four common features of this culture: lack of commitment, ambiguous language, alcohol use, and social pressure to conform, all undermine the …

“Doing Justice: Paradoxical And Doxological Dimensions”, John Nunes

Theological Symposia

Dr. Nunes explains how Lutheran World Relief uses the concept of contributive justice in their work.

Heartbeat Horizon: Saunders's Presentation To Executive Board Of Directors Sept. 2012, Landon Brady Saunders

Landon Saunders Documents

Speech/presentation by Saunders to the Board of Directors. Outlines how Heartbeat changed Saunders's view of God, Jesus, the Bible, and the church; the importance of vision and the compelling drive of Heartbeat's vision; and a proposal for Heartbeat for the next three years of 2012-2015 and the role Saunders feels he should play. Future goals include a book Saunders wants to author, a Heartbeat Institute, and a plan for laying up content and marketing it to a wide audience.

Typed presentation also contains notes and revisions handwritten by Saunders.

Child Sacrifice In Egyptian Monastic Culture: From Familial Renunciation To Jephthah's Lost Daughter, Caroline T. Schroeder

College of the Pacific Faculty Articles

The Apophthegmata Patrum tells the story of a man who, wishing to join a monastery, reenacts Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac by proceeding to throw his son in the Nile River on the command of the monastic father. Like Isaac, the boy is spared. This account of extreme familial renunciation in the service of the ascetic life is not the only account of a child killing or attempted killing in monastic literature. Nor does the biblical prefigurement of ascetic renunciation exhaust these narratives' significance. This essay examines accounts of child killings in Egyptian monastic culture through the lens of various textual …

A Comparative Study: Traditional Evangelical Friends Pastors With Contemporar Evangelical Pastors For Twenty-First Century Application, Thomas Crawford

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This is a study of the dominant views of traditional evangelical Friends pastors and contemporary evangelical pastors. A comparative study of lifestyle, methods of ministry, and primary doctrinal beliefs is used to discover areas of agreement, differences, and points critical to successful leadership for Evangelical Friends pastors. Being a pastor and denominational leader in the Evangelical Friends Church-Eastern Region for the past 32 years gives the author a critical interest in this study. Every church and denomination wants to effectively reach people for Christ. The author and Evangelical Friends are no different. Academic research is combined with interviews of evangelical …

By This They Will Know: Discipleship Principles To Transform The Church, Mark R. Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Current research indicates that ninety-five million individuals in America do not attend church. Nearly forty percent, of this group, have a negative impression of Christianity. The purpose of this project is to study the forces that that are transforming the American culture, and the dynamics that are perpetuating a bad image of Christianity. The author will evaluate the current state of spiritual formation in the Christian community, and make recommendations for developing an effective discipleship strategy for the church. The impetus for this paper is the Great commission issued by Jesus as recorded in Matthew 28:19. The paper will incorporate …

Two Kingdoms Perspective And Theological Method: Why I Still Disagree With David Van Drunen, Jason Lief

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Abraham Kuyper's Wisdom And Wonder: Review Essay, Jan Van Vliet

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

From The Editor's Desk, "Theological Studies" September 2012, David G. Schultenover

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Peter, Robert B. Slocum

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Extending Story Listening As A Practice Of Communal Formation At The Lake Orion Church Of Christ, Eric R. Magnusson

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the results of a project that explores the potential for extending a practice of story listening as a way of forming community across social circles at the Lake Orion Church of Christ in Lake Orion, Michigan. The intervention involved guiding a group of six participant-researchers, each of whom had previous experience in story listening, through six sessions in the fall of 2011. Each phase of the project was informed by a participatory social Trinitarian theology. The first three sessions were designed to empower participant-researcher pairs to facilitate story listening groups of four to five …

Epic Families: Equipping Parents To Reclaim Their Biblical Mandate While Inspiring Children To Know And Love The God Who Made Them, Marybeth Meltzer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A review of current literature demonstrates that there is a fundamental problem in the church today: the church has taken on the primary role of discipling children, while many parents have abrogated their biblical mandate as outlined in Deuteronomy 6:6-9. Surveys of parents as well as practical ministry experience confirm that great confusion exists among parents as to the scope of their biblical responsibilities. This project reviews historical perspectives and the present situation in the church and offers guidance to both parents and ministry professionals to help parents reclaim their God-given responsibilities.

Pastoral Care: A New Model For Assessing The Spiritual Needs Of Hospitalized Patients, Douglas Robinson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Hospitalized patients are at an elevated risk of suffering from spiritual distress. Patients value and expect having spiritual and emotional needs met when hospitalized. A direct correlation exists between spiritual and physical health, making spiritual assessment and care a pastoral priority. Research indicates a lack of proper training for pastors making hospital visits. The purpose of this project is to provide pastors with resources and understanding of spiritual assessment of hospitalized patients. This project also provides pastors with a template for a new model of spiritual assessment to aid with establishing a spiritual assessment tool to meet their ministry needs, …

Review Of: Thompson, J. Milburn, Introducing Catholic Social Thought, Brian Stiltner

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

This book enters a crowded field. There are many books on Catholic social thought (CST), as suggested by this book’s select bibliography of over 200 items. Most religious studies publishers—especially those of a Catholic orientation—have one or more books on the topic. There are roughly thirty to forty texts in print that a college professor would consider when teaching a course or a module on Catholic social thought. Nonetheless, J. Milburn Thompson’s Introducing Catholic Social Thought is a welcome addition to the field. Thompson has written a clear, informative, and fairly engaging book for college students and others wanting to …